News Archives » Ecology
Come, Broaden Your Vision at OMI La Vista Ecological Learning Center… August 21st, 2013
Learn about the La Vista Earth Literacy Program, “Exploring the Sacred Universe,” that was held in early August. Fr. Antonio Ponce, OMI attended the program and made this video to share the experience more broadly.
Faith-Based Investors Urging Bold Action with Companies on Climate Change July 26th, 2013
The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) recently released a white paper on engagement with the energy sector to address the serious risks posed by rapidly rising levels of CO² in the atmosphere. The paper is, in large part, a response to the fossil fuel divestment campaign coordinated by 350.org, and serves to lay out a range of responses open to concerned investors in response to the looming climate crisis.
Read: Insights for Investors Working for Bolder Intervention on Climate Change
Water Pollution in Bangladesh Threatens Human Health and Agriculture July 16th, 2013
Rivers and canals in Bangladesh are becoming increasingly polluted from industrial wastewater dumped by factories, many of them in the textile industry, The New York Times has reported. Leather tanneries are also a significant source of toxic pollutants to the air and water. The water pollution threatens food production and is raising both environmental and human health concerns.
Human Rights Watch issued a report late last year on the human health effects of unchecked pollution from the leather industry. The report, Toxic Tanneries, documents an occupational health and safety crisis among tannery workers, both men and women, including skin diseases and respiratory illnesses caused by exposure to tanning chemicals, and limb amputations caused by accidents in dangerous tannery machinery. Residents of the area where the tanneries are located are also seriously affected. The government has consistently failed to enforce labor and environmental laws in Hazaribagh, a suburb of Dhaka, and has ignored High Court orders to clean up or move the tanneries.
Oblates Join Anti-Nuclear Protest in Kansas City July 15th, 2013
Oblate Superior William Antone, OMI joined Carl Kabat, OMI last Saturday in at an anti-nuclear weapons protest in Kansas City. They were among two dozen protestors who were arrested at the PeaceWorks rally at the Honeywell Plant. The plant is managed and operated by Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, which produces 85 percent of the nonnuclear material used in the United States nuclear bomb arsenal.
Those arrested had crossed onto Honeywell property. Roughly 60 people were present, with quite a few young people from Catholic Worker communities.
The Catholic Worker Community has posted photos of the protest on Flickr. View them here…
See pictures of the protest from KSHB, a local news station…
National Catholic Reporter has a good story on the action…
Oblate JPIC Office Intern arrives in Washington from San Antonio June 29th, 2013
The Oblate JPIC office is proud to welcome our newest intern, Erin Chase. He will be focusing on human rights and social media use for justice. Here is a brief bio:
Erin Chase: Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Erin graduated from Saint Anthony Catholic High School where he first encountered the Oblates. He was very active in St. Anthony during his time there. In the Young Oblate’s club, he worked with Oblate brothers and fellow peers to organize monthly community gatherings with the homeless. He also served on the music and organizational teams for the students’ home-designed SALVE Retreat, which stands for Service and Action, Love, Vocation, and Evangelization. It’s a 3-4 day, student-designed retreat. Additionally he served on the team for the local ACTS retreats. While in high school, Erin became an Eagle Scout, and received the Junior Oblate Cross and the Archbishop’s Medallion for his commitment to service and Catholic devotion. He is currently a rising junior at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, where he is majoring in Religious Studies.
Erin is involved in a number of faith-based activities at Wesleyan. During his freshman year, he revived the Catholic Student Organization, which provides educational and spiritual opportunities for faith development on campus. The group, which works in an interfaith context, tries to engage students of any or no faith. Erin continues to lead this community, and, in addition, directs the Catholic liturgical choir. Other initiatives in which he is involved include Shining Hope for Communities, a grassroots organization combating generational poverty and gender bias in Nairobi, serving as an executive member in the Wesleyan chapter. Other involvements are with the outreach team at Amazing Grace Food Pantry in Middletown, and with the Middlesex United Way, where he serves as the Special Projects Coordinator. In his spare time, Erin enjoys songwriting, coffee, and learning about social entrepreneurship. He hopes to utilize his skills and develop his understanding of social justice issues through working with the Missionary Oblates JPIC Office.
